Horses are commonly housed in individual boxes. While this
may be convenient and prevent injuries from other horses, it may also be
detrimental to the horse’s welfare, especially if access to pasture is limited.
A paper by Alice Ruet and colleagues investigated the effect
of various management practices on the display of behavioural indicators of
compromised welfare in housed horses.
The study involved 187 sport horses housed in individual
boxes in four separate barns. They had no access to paddocks or pastures.
The study ran over a 9-month period. The research team recorded
various management factors:
- Individual (age; gender);
- Housing (window to outside; grill between boxes; bedding material);
- Feeding (number of concentrate feeds a day);
- Equitation (discipline; level of performance);
- Quantity of ration;
- Activity (number of events during the study; hours ridden a week; hours lunged or on horse walker.)
They assessed the presence or absence of stereotypic or
aggressive behaviour and whether the horse appeared alert or “withdrawn” (Neck
horizontal at same level as back, fixed stare, ears and head static).
They found that horses that had a window opening toward the
external environment for the total duration of the study and kept in straw
bedding were less aggressive compared to horses that never had this factor and
were kept on non-straw bedding.
They report: “Among the housing and management factors
commonly observed in individual boxes, most of them did not significantly
affect the welfare state of horses.”
“Only three factors (straw bedding, a window opening toward
the external environment, and reduced quantity of concentrated feed received
daily) seem to be beneficial, but with limited effects.”
Horses that had a window opening toward the external environment
for the total duration of the study and kept in straw bedding were less aggressive
compared to horses that never had this factor and were kept on non-straw
bedding. Horses kept on straw were more often recorded as showing “alertness” compared
to those kept on non-straw bedding.
A grilled window on the wall between two boxes did not have
a significant effect on the behavioural indicators.
Behaviour was not significantly affected by any of the
factors relating to discipline, regularity of training, or level of
performance.
The authors add: “Above all, the longer horses live in
individual boxes, the more likely they are to express persistent
unresponsiveness to the environment….The recurrent expression of this
posture could reflect an internal state that is likely to be similar to
depression in human beings.”
They conclude: “The main relevant result of this study
remains that most of the tested factors had no influence on the expression of
the behavioural indicators, in particular on unresponsiveness to the
environment and stress-related behaviours. This implies that drastic changes in
the living and management conditions should be required to improve the welfare
state of animals.”
“To preserve the welfare of horses, it seems necessary to
allow free exercise, interactions with conspecifics, and fibre consumption as
often as possible, to ensure the satisfaction of the species’ behavioural and
physiological needs.”
For more details, see:
Housing
Horses in Individual Boxes Is a Challenge with Regard to Welfare
Alice
Ruet, Julie Lemarchand, Céline Parias, Núria Mach, Marie-Pierre Moisan, Aline
Foury, Christine Briant and Léa Lansade
Animals
2019, 9(9), 621;
